Elektron Digitakt II vs Digitone II - which one to choose?
Elektron updated two of its most popular machines in 2024. The Elektron Digitakt II arrived in spring, the Elektron Digitone II followed in autumn of the same year. Both are built on a new hardware platform, both received double the track count, an expanded sequencer and significantly reworked capabilities. But these are different instruments with different logic and different sound. The question "which one to get" comes up constantly. Here is an honest attempt to answer it.
Table of Contents
Elektron Digitakt II - what it is
Elektron Digitakt II is a sampler and drum computer. Elektron itself calls it a "drum computer and sampler" - and that matters: despite all the enhancements of the second version, the core purpose of the machine has not changed. It works with recorded audio, it does not synthesize sound from scratch.
Compared to the original: 16 audio tracks instead of 8, each now stereo, storage expanded from 1 GB to 20 GB, RAM from 64 MB to 400 MB. The number of samples per project increased from 128 to 1024. The sequencer now supports up to 128 steps. A new multimode filter, a comb filter, a third LFO per track and a Euclidean sequencer were added. Any track can now be assigned as audio or MIDI.
What stayed the same: the core logic of working with samples, monophonic tracks (each track plays a single sound), Elektron's workflow with parameter locks and conditional trigs. The Elektron Digitakt II did not become a synthesizer. It is still the same sampler - but significantly more powerful and flexible.
It is worth noting that the Elektron Digitakt II's role as a MIDI brain for external gear remains one of its greatest strengths. It sequences external synthesizers and modules with the same precision it applies to its own samples. The Elektron workflow still requires time to learn - those who never warmed to it before are unlikely to change their minds now.
Elektron Digitone II - what it is
Elektron Digitone II is an FM synthesizer with a sequencer. The original Digitone from 2018 stood out for making FM synthesis accessible and understandable, combining it with subtractive elements and Elektron's powerful sequencer. The second version received considerably more changes than the Elektron Digitakt II.
16 voices of polyphony instead of 8, 16 tracks instead of 4, 48 LFOs instead of 16 (three per voice), the sequencer grew to 128 steps with a new Euclidean mode. New synthesizer machines: Wavetone (wavetable synthesis), Swarmer (unison/detune), FM Tone (classic FM), FM Drum. Six filter types: multimode, 4-pole lowpass, equalizer, Comb+, Comb- and Legacy LP/HP for backwards compatibility with first-version patches. A stereo master compressor with sidechain.
The Elektron Digitone II is now closer to a groovebox than a pure synthesizer: 16 independent tracks with the ability to program different sounds on each step make it a self-contained workstation. Any track can be assigned as a synth or MIDI track, which greatly expands the possibilities in live sets and DAWless setups.
A few things worth noting: the USB-B port instead of USB-C is a visible step backwards for a machine at this price point. Overbridge was not available at launch. Presets in the library are not sorted by machine type - it is one long list to scroll through. The FM synthesis learning curve, however simplified here, has not disappeared.
The fundamental difference
Elektron Digitakt II works with recorded sound. You load samples or record them through the line input, and the machine plays them back, chops them, processes them and sequences them. It is the right instrument for someone who wants to build beats and patterns from real audio material: drums, vocal chops, field recordings, instrumental fragments.
Elektron Digitone II creates sound on its own. FM synthesis with operators and algorithms offers a specific palette: metallic percussive tones, glassy pads, dense textures, unconventional timbres. This is not analog warmth or sampler texture - FM has its own sound, and whether you like it depends on the music you make.
Both instruments are fully capable DAWless devices with the same sequencer and the same working logic. Both can control external gear via MIDI. The difference is in the source of sound.
Who is the Elektron Digitakt II for
Elektron Digitakt II is the right choice for:
- producers working with beats, samples and loops
- those who want to program drums from their own library rather than synthesize them
- experimental work with field recordings and unconventional sound material
- musicians who need a reliable MIDI brain that also handles audio
- original Digitakt users who need more tracks and stereo sampling
Who is the Elektron Digitone II for
Elektron Digitone II is the right choice for:
- musicians interested in FM synthesis in an accessible format
- those who need a lot of polyphony and multiple independent synthesizer layers in a single machine
- genres where the FM palette fits naturally: electronic music, ambient, experimental sound design, percussive FM textures
- musicians looking for a standalone instrument without a computer - with a synthesizer and full sequencer in one box
Can they work together
Yes - and it is a popular configuration. Elektron Digitakt II as MIDI brain controls the Elektron Digitone II, which adds synthesizer layers on top of sampler patterns. This pairing comes up frequently because the two instruments complement each other without overlapping functions. The Digitakt II handles sampling and rhythm, the Digitone II provides melody, harmony and FM textures.
Summary
If you work with samples and need a drum machine with a powerful sequencer - Elektron Digitakt II. If you are interested in FM synthesis, large polyphony and a full synthesizer-groovebox - Elektron Digitone II. Both instruments require time to learn the Elektron workflow - worth factoring in from the start. Neither is a universal solution, but each in its own domain is one of the best options available on today's market.
Both machines are available to try and buy in person at our Wired Tunes showroom in Warsaw. Come in, listen and decide for yourself - find us at Nowogrodzka 6A/102, 00-513 Warszawa.
